Outline History of Liturgical Music

CCHA Report, 12 (1944-45), 15-22 Outline History of Liturgical Music BY THE REV. J. E. RONAN, M.C.G., L.C.S.C. Music has been associated with Christ...
5 downloads 0 Views 102KB Size
CCHA Report, 12 (1944-45), 15-22

Outline History of Liturgical Music BY THE REV. J. E. RONAN, M.C.G., L.C.S.C.

Music has been associated with Christian W orship since the very dawn of Christianity. Our Lo rd, Himself, showed His delight in Sacred Song when on the very night of His Birth, though He forewent almost every other human comfort, would not let this first occ a s ion of Christian Worship pass without the accompaniment of s w e e t e st music. He summoned the Heavenly Choirs and as the shepherds heard the first Go s p e l me ssage, there followed immediately the glorious chant of those angel voices which filled the vault of the Heavens (Luke II – suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly army praising God and saying ‘ Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will’ ). We read in the Gospels that Christ frequented the Temp l e and the Synagogue. He celebrated the P a s c h according to the Mosaic Law, which implied Chant o f t he P salms. And so it was at the last Supper when He had instituted the Blessed Eucharist, having sung the last psalm he left the cenacle and went out to Mount Olivet to pass the night in prayer as a preparation for His Sacred P assi on – Et Hymno dicto exierunt in Monte Oliveti (Matt. XXVI.30). We read in St. Luke that after His Ascension the disciples “ were always in the temple praising and blessing God”. But, there was also a new lit u r g y outside the Temple, a new central act of worship, viz. the “ Breaking of Bread” – The Eucharistic sacrifice. We read in Acts II–46-47 “ Breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat with g ladness and simplicity of heart; praising God, and having favour with all the people.” For prudence sake the “ Breaking of Bread”, however, often had to take place without singing or ceremonial, due to unfriendly pagan surroundings. P ersecution at Jerusalem along with the missionary impulse dispersed the Apostles and disciples in various directions . C h r i stian communities with Chri s t i a n cult and worship grew up at Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, even in Ethiopia. St. P aul exhorts the Ephesians to be “ filled with t h e H oly Spirit speaking to themselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles – singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord.” Obviously, during the first three centuries the Chant and Liturgical rites of the Early Ch u rch took on many different styles and forms according to the various languages and customs of the localities where important churches were

— 15 —

established. In the middle of the second century Origen states that the Greeks in Greek, t h e R o ma n s i n Latin, each nation in its own language prayed to God and sang Hymns to Him with all thei r might. St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Cesarea (370-379) , w h e n c r iticized for his manner of singing the psalms defended himself thus – “ If this be the reason w h y y o u s e p arate y ourselves from me, then you must likewise separate from the Eg y p t i a n s , Libyans, Thebans, and from the inhabitants of P alestine, Ar a b i a , P hoenicia, Syria and from t h o s e w h o d w e l l on the Euphrates – in a word from all by whom the vigil service s and common psalmody are held in honour.” Even to this day in the Catholic Church there are 16 Eastern rites as well as the three western rites – Roman, Ambrosian, and Moz a r a b i c – all of them recognizing the P ope as their spiritual Father and R u l e r , not to speak of the Schismatic branches that have broken away from unity. Our rite is the R o ma n Rite. Our traditional Chant is the Roman Chant. The Roman Chant during this formative period d e v e l o p ed discretely. A Latin Chant couldn’ t develop fast since even a t R o me the predominating language of the Liturgy was Greek. Rome conque r ed Greece 146 B.C. but by culture and language the Greeks conquered the conquerors. Th e p o pulation w a s overwhelmingly pagan. P ersecution retarded external flowering of t h e liturgy. The liberation of the Church under Constantine (Edict of M i l a n 313) marked the beginning o f g reat development of a distinctive Roman Chant. It is true that in it s b e g innings Hebrew, Syrian, Greek, particularly Byzantine chant, offe r ed their influence but what a tribute to the spirit and devotion of the Roman liturgists , t h a t, despite the variety of influence, they cultivated a chant that is clearly Roman. It is chant with its own s c a le system – its own adaptation to the accentuation of its own Latin Language. It is a chant developed from the Liturgy and for the Liturgy. It is the chant we inherit from the F a t h e r s of the Church. St. Ephraem, St. Gregory Nazienzen, St. Basil, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, all had a part in its inspiration, many of them even in its composition. But outstanding as an organizer, promoter and p r o b a b ly as a composer of some of its melodies is the illustrious P ontiff from whom t h e C h ant takes its na me , P ope “ Gregory the Great” (590-604). Since his day the traditional chant of t he Roman rite has been called Gregorian Chant. It has been held as a tradition for over 1,000 years that P ope Gregory I compiled what is known as the Gregorian Sacramentary, that he brought the existing liturgical Chant Books into order, c o d i fi ed them in conformity with his other liturgical reforms, and even that he compo s ed many of the melodies. Although a few investigators su c h as George Eckhart (18th C) and the great Belgian music o l o g i s t Geveart (19th C) tried to give credit for the Gregorian reforms to Gregory the 2nd or 3rd instead of to Gregory the Great, the general conviction of the best authorities remains in confirmation of popular tradition.

— 16 —

A Manuscript of the 10th or 11th Century at Verona introduces the Introit of 1st Sunday of Advent with the following text “ The saintly Gregory while he prayed to the Lord that He shou l d send him from above a melody for his song, then the Holy Ghost came down i n t he form of a dove and lighted up his heart and he began to sing ‘ Ad t o l e v a v i ’ , etc.” On the front page of a 10th Century Antiphoner by Hartker, famous copy i st of St. Gall, St. Gregory is pictured seated among his scribes who copy down the melodies he dictates under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who seated on his shoulder whispers the inspired melodies in his ear. Historians base their arguments, howeve r, not on this legend but on the testimony of John the Deacon, Gregory’ s Biographer, who wrote in 870 “ He compiled with great care for the s i n g e r s a most useful ‘ Centonem Antiphonarium’ . . . He likewise founded a Schola Cantorum which still performs t h e c h a n t s in the Holy Roman Church according to his rules – To this day, near the Lateran, the couch from which in his illness he directed the chant, also the rod with which he chastised the boys, along with the authentic Antiphonary are conserved with fit t i n g veneration.” Egbert, Bishop of York (732-766) – Dialogue de institutione Catholica – writes “ W e o b s e rve the fasts as our teacher and master blessed Gregory ordained in his Antiphonarium and Missale which he sen t u s b y o u r teacher blessed Augustine” – Migne Patrologia Latina 89, 441. St . Gregory had a special affection for England. In 597 he sent St. Augustine along with 40 monks to evangelize the country. These missionaries brought with them the first copies of the Gregorian Chant books. St. Augustine established an important Schola Cantorum at Canterbury. I n 678 P ope A g a tho sent John, chief chanter of the P apal court to teach the Roman chant i n E n gland. He taught at Wearmouth monastery – P upils flocked to him from all parts. After two y e a r s h e r e turned to Rome with g l o w i ng praises of the Chant in England. An important Schola Cantorum grew up at York under Bishop Wilfred. Two famous chanters from Canterbury – a certain “ Ja me s” and another named “ Stephen” brought the Canterbury Chant to York. Turning to Ireland, we find St. P atrick b r i n g i n g probably the Gallican Chant t o I r eland a century and a half before St. Augustine came to England. On Easter Sunday 433 – Dubhthack Maclugair, chief bard and poet of Ireland pronounced his allegi ance to the Christian Faith as preached by P atrick. The minstrels almost to a man followed his example. Cel t i c p s a lmody and Celtic hymnody grew with v i g o r a nd blended with the chant of the Latin Liturgy i mp a r ting as well as receiving a new character. They learned the new hymns and melodies but they also contri b u t e d n ew and original ones. The Carmen P aschale by the Irish Sed u l i u s ( S h iel), written in the fifth Century, was, according to Dr. Sigerson, “ The first great Christian ep ic worthy of the

— 17 —

name.” He is also credited with the hymn, “ A solis ortus cardine” , a n d t h e Introit to Our Lady’ s Mass, “ Salve Sancta parens”. Missionaries from Ireland a n d E n g land, as they carried the Faith to the provinces of Germany, were apostles of the Chant as well. About the year 653 St. Gertrude of Brabant in Belg i u m sent for two Irish monks, St. Foillan and St. Ultan, to teach psalmody in the abbey of Nivell e s . M o s t worthy of note is the fact that “ The Monastery of St. Gall” in Swi t zerland, perhaps the most famous of all centres of the chant in the middle ages, from w h i ch the clearest an cient manuscripts come, was founded by the Irish Saint Cellach – latinized as St. Gallus or Gall. Grattan Flood in his History of Irish Music tells us of Marcellus and his pupil Tutilo, inventor of the tropes – both of them Irishmen, their Irish names being Moengal and Tuathal. Tutilo was at once poet, orator, painter, sculptor and builder, a skilled performer on the cruit and P saltery. P eter Wagner – famous musicologist of Freiburg , S witzerland, says of Marcellus “ It is n o t w i t hout importance that the oldest known artist of St. Gall is of Irish origin... One of the ol d e s t ma n u scripts of Franco-German origin, if not the oldest, t h e s o -called autograph of the Tonarious of Regino of P rum in the Leipzig city library is w r i t ten entirely in Anglo-Irish neums. The monks from the Island kingd o m w h o christianized Germany certainly taught in the monasteries founded by them no other order of liturgy and chant than the one which was curr e n t a mo n g them. The foundation of St. Gall, in all that concerns Church c h a n t , s tands in close relation to the English and Irish Churches.” In France the Roman Chant was not propagated until on e a n d a half c e n t u ries after the death of P ope Gregory the Great. P receding it was the Gallican Chan t a n d t he Gallican Liturgy. The Gauls had their own style of P salmo d y a n d a particular feature was the psalmody as sung by boys. Walafrid Stra b o t ells us that in the Gallican Church there were talented and enthusiastic musicians and tha t many of their own compositions were combin ed with the Roman Office after its adoption. Though the Ambrosian Liturgy strongly resisted the change to Roman Chant and persevere s even to thi s d ay, the Gauls under the leadership of P epin and Charlemagne accepted the Roman Chant and gave it an unprecedented development. P op e Stephen II went to France to crown P epin in 751 at the Cathedral of St. Denis on the Seine. The retinue of the P ope brough t with them the Roman rites and chant, and during the solemnities t h e c o n trast between the G allican and Roman chant was so marked that P epin resolved to have unity . The Bishop Chrodegang of M e t z ma d e a trip to Rome and was so much impressed with the Roman Liturgy and Chant that he at once introduced them into his Cathedral. The Choir School at Metz was manned by teachers trained in Rome and grew into one of the greatest cent r e s o f G r e gorian Chant. The great Liturgist Amalarius did most of his work there.

— 18 —

But it was the Emperor Char l e ma g ne, son of P epin, who strove most effectively for the union of all Christians by means of Liturgy and C h a n t . In 789 he addr e s sed a decree to all the clergy of his Kingdom ordering them to learn perfectly the Cantus Romanus. Strictest directions are given how to sing the P salms of the Office and the chants of t h e M a s s . His own famous Court S c h o o l at Aachen (Aquisgrana) – taught the chant with meticulous ca r e . Alcuin, the great English scholar, was the Emperor’ s li t u r g i cal adviser. All c h a n t b ooks had to correspond with the Roman books. Along wit h arithmetic, geometry a n d astronomy, music formed the “ quadrivium” of the school cur r i c ulum. By the emperor’ s command singing schools were established in the Ca t h e d ral towns, at the monasteries, and at the P alaces of the nobility and superb choirs of boys w e r e t h e pride of them all. Chartres, Dijon, Lyon, Cambrai, Nevers w e r e famous among these schools. Royal envoys travelled throughout the la n d with instructions to see to the observance of his comma n d s r e garding the chant. Charlemagne extended his kingdom eastward till it embraced Germany and northern Italy, so that all the monasteries and singing schools, previously founded b y the Irish Monks, including the great monastery of S t . G a l l, were now to benefit by the direct contact of the Roman Litur g y . The Roman chanters and the Gauls often disagreed vehemently and criticized each the other’ s style of singing. The Romans were more adapted to the ornate s t yle of melody, with long melismas, requiring vocal agility. The Gauls and G e r ma n s had their own taste a n d t h e i r own style of melody, which they defended against the criticisms o f t h e ir Roman teachers. Despite all difficulties, the Gauls finally proved docile to the Roman influence. In return the Roma n Liturgy accepted many additions fr om the Gallican usage. Gallican feasts were put in the Roman c a l endar. Original Gallican melodies were likewise included, so that the Roman Liturgy, from then on, might be called Gallico-Roman. The Spanish or Moz a r a b i c Chant, closely related to the Gallican and showing certain Byzantine features imported by th e G o t h s, was used in the parts of Spain dominated by the Moors or Arab s . Sts. Leandro and Isidore of Seville, St. Ildephonsus of Toledo and St. Julian were al l promoters of the chant in Spain. Like t h e G allican Chant, Mozarabic gave way to the Roman Chant from the eighth Ce ntury onwards. To-day only two Cathedrals, Toledo and Salamanca, conserve something of the Mozarabic Liturgy. Ambrosian Chant antedated St. Ambro s e a s G regorian did St. Gregory. Although the general forms are the same, compared w ith the Gregorian Chant Ambrosian has more o f a n o r iental flavour. The simple melodies are more simple than the Gregorian, the o r n a t e p a rts more ornate. The two famous Itali a n monasteries Benevento and Monte Cassino at one time used the Ambrosian but gave it up in favour of the Roman. We have followed the chant through its first two periods : (1) The period of forma t i o n up to St. Gregory’ s time ; (2) Its golden period of codification,

— 19 —

dev e l opment and diffusion. Extending this period to include the twelfth century w e find two new forms developing, viz. sequences and tropes. Only five of the s e s e q u e n c e s are still used in our chant books (Dies Irae, Lauda Sion, Stabat Mater, Veni Sancte Spiritus, Victimae P a s chali), though hundreds were composed and used in the 10th, 11th and 12th c e n t u r i es. No t k e r ^ 912 invented the sequences. He wrote 50 of them. Adam of St. Victor of P ari s ^ 1 1 9 2 also wrote an equal number. These compositions showed the desire first to get less long vocalises in the chant a n d more text wi t h a s y l l able for each note, and later a freer, more developed melody. The urge toward novel expression of piety showed itself also in the tropes, which took the form of introductions, i n t erpolations, or additions to the Kyries, Introits and all Mass Chants except the Credo, and many Offi c e chants as well. As we said above Tutilo, the Irish Monk of St. Gall is credited with their inve ntion. These tropes grew to fantastic proportions and number. They were often sung outside the C h u r c h a s Sacred folk songs apart from the Liturgy. They sometimes became secular or jocose i n content. Wandering singers and “ ne’ er-do-weels” sang them for gain. The tropes in the Church grew to be independent of the Liturgical text, and along with the Sequences contributed to the rise of Mystery P l a y s . Their abuse led gradually to their being prohibited for Liturgical use. These developments o f tropes and sequences along with the rise of P olyphony – i.e. music sung in parts – ma ny melodies sounding at the same time, take us into the third period in the history of the Chant. It is the period of transition to new forms. Musica mensurata or measured music begins t o overshadow the free rhythmed Gregorian. The perfecting of th e mu s i c a l staff by Guido D’ A r e z z o , l ed to a new notation and consequent rigid and unrhythmic interpretation of the Chant. Two periods remain – the period of decadence 15th to mid 19th Century a n d the period of restoration from the latter half of 19th Century to this very day. It would take several co n fe r e n ces to deal with these last three periods. We can only summarize here. A s P olyphonic Music developed, it became intensely interesting. Th e Chant took second place in the popular mind. Gregorian Melodies were used as basic themes sung in long, slow notes, with elaborate P olyphonic melodies interwoven about them. Gregorian Chant was then called P lain Chant. Sacred P olyphony went through succes s i v e stages, from primitive organum or diaphony to descant and falso hordone, t o mo t e t a nd canon. Naturally, fantastic experiments ran their course b e fo r e t h e style reached its highest perfection under P alestrina o f the Roman School. P alestrina was a layman . H e w a s a devoted protégé and friend of St. P hilip Neri. Though surrounded by the spirit of t h e R e naissance and exaggerated humanism,

— 20 —

P alestrina disciplined his talent, confined it almost exclusiv e l y to Church Music and attained such perfection of technique and such mystic quality in his masses, mo t e ts, hymns, lamentations, etc., that his works have been declared worthy of a place in Liturgy alongside Gregorian Chant. This approval w o u l d include many of P alestrina’ s contemporaries. Vittoria, a priest of Spanish origin, studied in Ro me , p e rhaps as pupil of P alestrina. He is considered by many as equal to P alestrina in mystic quality and even to surpass him in fervent expression, though P alestrina stands alone for general clarity of form, dignity of melodic line and magnifice n c e o f style. The Netherlands, the British Isles , France and Spain, Italy and Germany, all produced masters of this style. We mention a small number s u ch as Josgain des P res, Orlando de Lassus, Morales, Arcadelt, Na n i n o , Soriano, Wm. Byrd, Jacobus Handl. Composing Gregorian now became a lost art. Even the classic P olyphony soon began on the way o f decadence. The same composers who wrote for the Church tried also to write in the style of the secular madrigal, chanso n, or in the style of the operatic th eatre. Thus the highly emotionalized humanistic appeal entered into the compositions for the Church with consequent lack of dignity and devotion. The later development of t h e s o-called classical style of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven was quite detached from the Liturgy. When these masters wrote for the Church, they changed but littl e from their secular style. Their composi t i o n s w ere usually too long to fit into the liturgical framework. They did violence to the order and sense of the Liturgical text. Th e i n c r e a s e d use of Instrumental Music and Instrumental Accompaniments did much to secularize C hurch Music. Richard Wagner, though not a Catholic, recognized the truth of this : – “ The first step towards the decadence of Catholic Church Musi c w a s the admission of Orchestral Instruments into the Church. With them came a sensual appeal in the expressio n o f Religious sentiment which did a great damage and had a disastrous influence on the Chant itself. The virtuosity of the instrumentalists tempted the singers to show a similar virtuosity and soon the profane taste of the opera penetrated the Church”. – (Gesammelte Schriften –Leipzi g 1871 t. II, p. 335.) The Romantic period which followed, only e mp h asized this lack of fitness. Reaction against this abuse was manifold. The Cecilian societies of Germany and Italy demanded a revival of t h e Chant and a return to sobriety in the field of part music. The Chant was found still to he necessary for daily Church use. Classic P olyphony and later styles of P art Music we r e fa r from organized into Liturgical order. Various editions of the Chant were issued: Medicaean edition in Rome Nivers edition

1614 1658

— 21 —

France France

Rennes edition Dijon edition Malines Ratisbonne

1853 1858 1829 1871

France France Belgium Germany

Some of them erred by abbreviating the melodies, others in t h e i r r h ythm, accentuation and notation, but all tried to serve the Liturgy. Another school of thought was led by the Benedictines of Solesmes with Dom Gueranger as their leader in what has been called the Liturgical revival. Dom Gueranger’ s principle was “ ret u rn to the ancient sources”. If we use Gregorian Chant, let it be the genuine Gregorian. The Benedictines sent their scholars to hunt for all ancient manuscripts they could find in the libraries of E u r o pe from Sicily and Italy in the South to Spain, France, Germany, t h e Netherland s a n d the British Isles. Their paleographic studies led by Dom P otier and Dom Mocquerean were approved b y t h e Church and in 1903, on St. Cecilia’ s day, P ope P ius the Xth issued hi s famous Motu Proprio on Church Music, proposing the restored Gregorian as th e supreme model for Church Music, declaring P alestrinian P olyphony to he w o r thy of a place in the Liturgy along with the Gregorian, and offering encoura g ement to modern composers in the following words: – “ The Church has always recognized and favoured the progress of the a rts, admitting to the service of religion everything good and b e a u tiful discovered by genius in the course of ages – always, however, with due regard to the liturgical laws. Consequently modern music is also admitted to the Church, since it, too, furnishes compositions of such excellence, sobriety and gravity, that they are in no way unworthy of the liturgical functions.” Everywhere we see signs of reviving interest in proper Church Music as outlined in the Motu Prop io of P ius Xth. Modern Composers are learning to adapt their technique to the spirit and form of the liturgy. If history of Church Music has taught us anything, it is this: – “ Liturgy is a dynamic, progressive movement as well as a matter o f t r a d i t ion. It can never remain merely static. Every age of sincere devotion, and every people can contribute but they must d o s o under discipline of a supreme authority and in the spirit of ze a l a n d piety ; with great respect for traditional forms and practice.”

— 22 —